Friday, April 25, 2008

Abused Tim?

Starting pitcher:
JC Parsons

Another wonderful job by our boy, Tim. He is clearly off to a tremendous start this year. All five starts are victories (half of our total!), nine more strikeouts to give him the league lead, each start has gone over 6 innings, and he has yet to give up more than two runs! Did anyone else notice how pumped up Tim was on the bench after he came out? The cameras caught him pumping his fists and spouting obscenties...just like the big boys. Definitely a quality victory against a good pitcher in a ballpark that owns us. Tim is truly beginning to look like that rare commodity: a power pitcher with some finesse. NOT ONLY THAT, we moved past the doggers and pudres into THIRD PLACE!! (Yes, I know looking at the standings is a little silly this year, but as long as LA sucks, I can't resist.)

So why do I have a queazy stomach this morning?

The answer is clearly and eloquently given by Chris at Bay City Ball (cool new logo). This season really is not about the standings or even that silly stat...what is it called?..a WIN. This season is all about the development of our youth, especially our pitchers. (And I guess what I really mean by development is"avoiding injury"...Can anyone give me an example of a pitcher that improved under Rag's watch??) We all need to make sure our priorities are straight. (And I guess by "we," I really mean Bochy and Sabean.) Lincecum had thrown 109 pitches and yet he returned to pitch the seventh, with no one warming up! Needless to say, he could not get out of that inning and needed a HUGE effort by Special Agent Jack. When the smoke cleared, Tim had hit a career high in pitches thrown (122). Yes, he is a "freak" but you still have to wonder. Don't forget the rain game that Tim didn't start but still won, that was clearly a risky way to use a pitcher. This is the same pitcher that got "shut down" early last year. What gives? Chris cites the fascinating PAP (pitcher abuse points) statistic, which places Tim fourth! (Notice the very impressive names at the top of that list.)

Am I worrying too much? Should I just sit back and enjoy? Or should I get mad? After all, I can not imagine a bigger disaster than an injured Lincecum or Cain. How important is pitch count?? Is Bochy doing the right thing with our golden youngster?

6 comments:

YES. It was Pure Unadulterated BONEHEAD to send him out for the 7th inning. Tim was strong, but he did labor with high pitch counts. Yes, worry. Worry that the idiots running our franchise can't see that they have a Franchise Player!

Tim is a throwback to the rubber arm days - a rare player who doesn't even need to ice his arm. He could throw 100, maybe even 200 pitches in a game and throw relief the next day. Tim is a freak. Until one day when he isn't. And then we don't have these wins any more and for the rest of his career we will be reminded of how truly stupid this abuse is.

Why is this so obvious to all of us? Why is the Magowan/Sabean tie so strong? What is so impressive about Bochy? Who, as Jon questions, has actually improved with Righetti as Pitching Coach? I worry about the health of all of our pitchers, not just the franchise pair. And, with Magowan/Sabean running the show, the chance of a mid-season change in philosophy is nil. Nice win for Chelsea this morning, though!

Brother Bob:Once again 3 great starts in a row from the kids. Cain's inability to get wins is verging on the tragic. Lincecum will probably make the cover of Sports Illustrated soon, of course dooming him to 3 or 4 lousy games in a row.My bhoyo Sanchez had a spectacular night. Schpilkas time. Incredibly he came quite close to a CG, but couldn't seal the deal. Wilson is doing a fine job.I believe the best thing for the team at this time would be the announcement that Zito requires season-ending surgery on his left shoulder. Valdez would then get some fill-in starts, pending Lowry's return, but he'll do so well he'll stay in the rotation (for about 10 years) and Corriea will go back to long relief.

Spectacular team pitching so far. (Other than Da Beezy, of course.) Brad Hennessey needs a chance to throw some innings. We have to find some things out about our 2001 #1 pick. Otherwise, I like it when our guys are on the hill. I hope Correia can keep up. One thing in his favor, he has thrown the fewest pitches per inning of our starters this year. (Check EL LEFTY MALO on April 25.)